We have been pretty quiet since the San Diego Tax & Spend Republicans joined with the Democrats to pass the SANDAG Sky Gondola Tax. The Donald Trump Reality Show has pulled eyeballs away from local issues so the San Diego Tax & Spend Republicans received little criticism since they voted to put it on the ballot. We wanted to send them one last life line before the “no new taxes” coalition fights the Sky Gondola Tax ballot proposition and targets the San Diego Tax and Spend Republicans in November.
As a recap, here is the time line for this ridiculous tax proposal:
March 16, 2016: We found out there were tax and spend Republicans on the SANDAG Board
March 29, 2016: We laid down a strategy to find out which Republicans are still taxpayer champions.
April 10, 2016: The entire Escondido Council came out against the tax.
April 13, 2016: The local Republican Party reminded Republican elected officials that it is against the tax proposal.
April 19, 2016: District 3 County Supervisor candidates oppose the plan: Sam Abed “shredded” it and Kristin Gaspar called it the “thirty dollar ice cream cone.”
April 20, 2016: The entire Poway Council opposes the tax.
April 27, 2016: The entire La Mesa Council opposes the tax. El Cajon Council votes to support it but Mayor Bill Wells ultimately votes against it in the SANDAG vote. Vista City Council votes to support it with Council members Amanda Rigby and John Franklin screaming their heads off in protest (Republicans Aguilera and Ritter strongly support the new tax).
April 28, 2016: We outlined how one becomes a Tax and Spend Republican, assuming that silence was consent. We used Santee City Council as an example and were shocked that Jack Dale voted FOR the tax and, when Rob McNelis tried to get an up or down vote on the Council (in early May), Hall and Minto dismissed him while Voepel (who is running for Assembly) was conspicuously silent.
April 29, 2016: Seven Tax and Spend Republicans, joined with Six Democrats, to vote against the five Republicans and pass the SANDAG Sky Gondola Tax proposal for the November ballot.
There you have it — even though the Republican Party, nationally, statewide, and locally is against “any and all attempts at new taxation,” seven tax and spend Republicans will cost their local party and the rest of the “no new taxes” coalition money. Donors will have to divert money FROM important elections and TO the effort to defeat the SANDAG Sky Gondola Tax. Volunteers will have to spend time educating voters about this crazy tax scheme.
It makes me irritated enough to want to target the tax and spend Republicans in their November elections, BUT … I have to work on defeating the tax now. In fairness, I realized that I might be missing one thing; putting this initiative on the ballot might have been a legal requirement to the 2003 ballot initiative SO…
I am throwing out one last life line. I need elected officials to raise their hands if they endorse a NO vote on the SANDAG Sky Gondola Tax Scheme and I need them to do it quickly. I already know that twenty local officials oppose the tax scheme (and will use their opposition in the campaign this summer) but I need to know which Republicans oppose it (thereby removing them from Tax and Spend Republican status). I need to know this by June 8, 2016.
If you oppose the SANDAG Sky Gondola Tax Ballot Initiative, simply comment below by saying:
“I oppose the SANDAG quality of life tax, on the November ballot, and urge San Diegans to vote NO.”
You can cut and paste it and enter the phrase in the comments section here. Please make sure your name and elected office is identified as well.